FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Senior javelin thrower Matt Kraft advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Wednesday to headline the opening day of competition for the North Dakota State men's track & field team at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds.
 
Kraft (Bismarck, N.D.) is headed back to the NCAA Championships for the second straight year, throwing 234-0 (71.32m) for seventh place in the javelin on Wednesday. The top 12 finishers in each event advance to Eugene, Ore., for the national meet.
 
Bison sophomore Jarod White tied for 17th in the pole vault, clearing 17-01.50 (5.22m).
 
Senior Cam Landis placed 24th in the shot put, throwing 58-04.50 (17.79m) for his second-best mark of the season. His 24th-place finish was an improvement of 19 spots over his pre-meet ranking of 43rd in the West.
 
NDSU's Michael Haugo capped his freshman season with a 24th-place finish in the long jump, posting a mark of 24-07.25 (7.50m). He entered the meet ranked 39th in the West, and out-performed that ranking by 15 places.
 
Junior Jacob Van Dusseldorp tied for 36th in the pole vault for his NCAA West Prelims debut, clearing 16-07.50 (5.07m).
 
Due to the forecast of inclement weather, the schedule of events has been adjusted for Thursday as the NDSU women compete in Arkansas. The hammer and javelin were moved up 90 minutes, while the long jump and all running events will start three hours earlier than originally scheduled.